Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Samana

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $712 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Samana
Learn more

Samana Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Samana

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Samana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $712 in Samana, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Samana $712

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,168 in Samana, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Samana $1,168

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,625 in Samana, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Samana $1,625

Medellin costs about 138% more than Samana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Samana is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.05 DOP 484

3.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$41.69 DOP 2,504

11.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.03 DOP 422

34.71%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.74 DOP 105

79.89%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.67 DOP 40.26

164.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.40 DOP 24.10

255.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.39 DOP 144

31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.87 DOP 232

47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.15 DOP 69.2

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.69 DOP 101

35.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.53 DOP 92.0

26.80%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.42 DOP 85.2

116.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.07 DOP 364

64.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.50 DOP 210

198.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$4.76 DOP 286

193.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.66 DOP 220

10.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.44 DOP 86.5

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.34 DOP 200

-37.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.84 DOP 110

24.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$3.44 DOP 207

-38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$2.91 DOP 175

-41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.93 DOP 55.9

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.63 DOP 97.7

-3.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.82 DOP 290

-18.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$8.30 DOP 499

69.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.96 DOP 178

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.44 DOP 207

-21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.81 DOP 48.56

45.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.43 DOP 146

-25.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$3.19 DOP 191

-33.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.20 DOP 71.8

6.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$14.7K DOP 882.7K

134.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.8K DOP 1.5M

32.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$178 COP 573.8K

$92.2 DOP 5,539

92.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$16.54 DOP 993

-16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$37.91 DOP 2,277

-18.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.81 DOP 289

55.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$790 COP 2.6M

$149 DOP 8,928

431.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,316 DOP 319.3K

131.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$25.70 DOP 1,544

235.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$44.73 DOP 2,686

32.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$62.0 DOP 3,726

122.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$65.7 DOP 3,948

50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$131 DOP 7,840

927.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$97.1 DOP 5,834

586.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$325 DOP 19.5K

507.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$242 DOP 14.6K

326.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-0.55%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Samana

$97 13.6% 85.4% $570

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Samana

$217 30.5% 29.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Samana

$147 20.6% 34% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Samana

$130 18.3% 24.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Samana

$89 12.5% 48.2% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Samana

$22 * 3% 76.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Samana

$9.6 * 1.4% 83.1% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $131 in Samana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $42 in Samana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $217 – making Samana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Samana

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

108,179

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Samana 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Samana

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Samana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 138%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,068 in Samana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Samana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Samana, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Samana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.